Airborne spinning or twisting ring and traveler



June 13, 11%? w. A. KLUTTZ 3,

AIRBORNE SPINNING 0R TWISTING RING AND TRAVELER Filed Oct. 13, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet 1 ,3? FRAME CON-mow AIR.

Pnwsuas Rgsuurrofi INVENTOR g l0 ALTER A KLUT June 13, 1957 TZ 3324,64

AIRBORNE SPINNING OR TWISTING RING AND TRAVELER Filed Oct. 15, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet 2- A' INVENTORJ R LUTTZ This invention relates to aspinning or twisting ring assembly and more particularly to the typewherein the ring is rotatable and airborne during operation.

It is an object of this invention to provide a rotatably mountedspinning or twisting ring having a traveler mounted for movement thereonwherein the friction between the ring and its holder or support is lessthan that between the ring and traveler during optimum operating speeds.

It is another object of invention to provide a ring assembly of the typedescribed in which the friction resisting the rotation of the ringdecreases from a point greater than to a point lesser than the frictionbetween the traveler and ring during acceleration of the ring speed fromstarting position to its optimum speed, and in which this same frictioncorrespondingly increases as the ring speed decelerates to a stop. Thus,at the beginning and at the end of a spinning cycle as the ring speedaccelerates and decelerates respectively, the traveler slides relativeto the ring because the spindle around which the yarn is wound rotatesfaster than the ring during acceleration and slower during deceleration.During the intermediate portion of the cycle, the ring and travelerrotate substantially at the same rate. It is during the above-mentionedperiods of acceleration and deceleration that the traveler functions toregulate the yarn tension so as to produce substantially the same twistin the end portions of a yarn package as that in the intermediateportion. The progressively increasing friction which occurs at the endof a spinning or twisting cycle further serves as a brake to hasten thedeceleration of the ring speed.

Heretofore, it has been proposed to employ air for rotatably supportingyarn twisting rings for installations in which the centrifugal force ofa ballooning yarn strand is used instead of a traveler as a connectionbetween the strand and ring and in which the ring is rotated andretarded by auxiliary power sources (see Patent Nos. 2,796,- 726 and2,932,152). Obviously, the centrifugal force between the ballooningstrand and the ring is almost negligible during the initial ringacceleration from starting position, and therefore, auxiliary powersources are necessary so that the strand will adhere to the ring andhave the desired twist imparted thereto. Likewise, the centrifugal forcebetween the ballooning strand and ring is similarly ineffective duringdeceleration of the ring speed.

It is a further object of invention to combine an air manifold as anintegral part of a ring rail so as to supply air to a plurality of ringassemblies in lieu of the provision of a manifold in the ring holder ofeach assembly.

It is yet another object of invention to provide an airborne spinning ortwisting ring which is rotated solely by the torque produced by itsassociated centrifugally actuated ring traveler.

Some of the objects of invention having been stated, other objects willappear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view, partly in section and partly schematic, showingmy improved ring assembly mounted on the ring rail of a spinning ortwisting frame;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIGURE 1;

3,324,643 Patented June 13, 1967 FIGURE 2A is a sectional view similarto the upper central portion of FIGURE 2, but showing a ring of smallerdiameter mounted in the same ring holder;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view, partly in section, showing furtherdetails of the assembly illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view, partly in section, showing a modifiedform of invention in which the ring rail has a manifold incorporatedtherein as a common source of pressurized air for a plurality of ringassemblies made in accordance with the invention, and

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view of another modified form ofinvention wherein a porous metallic filter is employed in supporting thering upon an air cushion.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 denotes thering rail of a spinning or twisting frame, said rail having an annularflanged ring holder 11 secured thereto as at 12 by any suitable meanssuch as a pressed fit (FIGS. 1 and 2). Ring holder 11 has a verticallydisposed bore therein in which is rotatably mounted the lower skirt rimor margin portion 151: of an annular spinning or twisting ring 15, theoutside diameter of portion 15:: being smaller than the inside diameterof the ring holder bore so as to provide an annular clearance 17therebetween of about .001.

The upper portion of ring 15 is provided with a conventional horizontalflange 15]) upon which a traveler 18 is mounted; and the intermediateportion of the ring has a peripheral flange which overlaps the upperhorizontal surface 13 of the ring holder 11. Traveler 18 is adapted tobe moved around and in sliding engagement with ring flange 15b under theinfluence of a yarn strand 19, said strand passing downwardly in awell-known manner from drafting rolls (not shown), beneath the arch oftraveler l8, and then laterally onto yarn package 20. Package 29 iswound upon a bobbin or holder 21 removably mounted upon verticallydisposed spindle 22. The ring holder 11, ring 15, yarn package 20, andyarn holder 21 are each substantially concentric with spindle 22.

Ring holder 11 comprises an annular outer portion 11a in which anannular inner bushing portion 11b is fixedly secured. The inner surfaceof portion lllla has an annular groove lllc therein which cooperateswith the outer periphery of inner portion 11b to form an air supplymanifold, said manifold communicating with clearance 17 by means ofradially and horizontally disposed openings 24 in the inner bushingportion 11b, and also communicating with the lower surface ofoverlapping ring flange 15c through vertically disposed openings 25 inportion 11a.

Pressurized gas or air is supplied to manifold 11c from compressed airtank 26 by means of a conduit 27, said conduit having a pressureregulator 28 and a control valve 29 therein. Valve 29 is opened andclosed by a solenoid 30 which is connected in series with the startingand stopping controls 32 of the spinning or twisting frame by means ofelectrical conduits 33 and 34. Thus, when the current to the controls 32is shut off, as by opening a switch 36, the solenoid 3t) will beactuated to close valve 29 to stop the flow of gas or air to the ringholder manifold lllc.

The ring holder portions 11a and 1112 may be manufactured from metallicor non-metallic material, the choice of materials depending upon thenature and conditions of mill operation.

Each ring holder assembly preferably has four equally spaced verticalholes 25 and eight equally spaced horizontal holes 24, the latter holesradiating from a common manifold 110. The number and size of the holesmay vary in order to insure optimum performance so long as the holes areequally spaced.

The air supply line 27 is connected to the annular manifold 110 of eachring assembly and the pressure may be as low as one pound per squareinch. The air or gas is expelled from manifold 11c horizontally andvertically so as to cause the ring 15 to float and freely rotate on acushion of air. The vertical holes 25 provide the vertical lift whilethe radial holes 24 provide selfcentering action of the ring 15 relativeto holder 11.

The above-described pneumatically suspended ring permits twisting ofyarns at speeds considerably in excess of 20,000 revolutions per minutewhen used in association with the traveler 18. The traveler is used as aweight tension device to promote the drag necessary to create thewinding of the package and also serves as a strand guide. Ring 15accelerates from a stand-still to a rotational speed of approximately15,000 revolutions per minute in less than one minute.

At the beginning of a spinning or twisting cycle and until the ringachieves its maximum optimum speed, it is lagging behind the travelerbecause the friction between the traveler and ring is insufiicient toovercome the ring inertia immediately at the beginning; however, whenthe optimum speed has been attained the traveler and ring will rotatesubstantially at the same rate thereby eliminating friction and wearbetween the two elements. By substantially eliminating the traveler-ringwear, it is evident that the principal remaining traveler wear willresult from yarn cut. 7

The air suspension of ring 15 virtually eliminates impingement of thetraveler against the ring because the ring floats up and down in theholder in accordance with the amount of yarn tension. Actual mill testshave shown that the number of ends down, or yarn breakage, per 1000spindle hours is substantially less because of the damping effect of thefree-floating ring.

The air or gas which suspends the ring is constantly exhausting fromclearance 17 between the ring and holder and from horizontal clearance38 between the inner opposed surfaces of ring flange 15c and the topsurface of the holder (FIGURE 2), thereby blowing lint and foreigncontamination from the adjacent parts and providing a self-cleaningaction.

Should it be required to stop the ring 15 quickly for dofling or otherpurposes, the air supply is turned off by opening switch 36 (FIGURE 1)causing the ring to seat or settle upon surface 13 of the ring holderduring which a progressively increasing braking action occurs. Aspreviously stated, the closing of control valve 29 causes the gas or airsupply to cease simultaneously with the cessation of operating currentto the spinning or twisting frame. When the air or gas supply is turnedoff, the ring should cease rotation at approximately the same time asthe spindle 22. Otherwise, the yarn may tangle around the bobbin 21.However, if instances of entanglement occur, the traveler continues tomove around the ring flange a number of revolutions to eliminate theentanglement.

The ring holder 11 may be constructed to accommodate the largest gaugeof spinning or twisting frame so that only one basic size of ring holderis employed as shown in FIGURE 2A. By providing an adapter ring 41 foreach smaller sized spinning or twisting ring, the ring holder portions15a and 150 as well as the supporting ring holder 11 may be used for anysize of spinning or twisting ring, thereby adapting the presentinvention to all existing spinning and twisting machines Without majormodifications.

The tests conducted with the above-described assembly revealed that theyarn quality was equal to or better than that produced from theconventional types of rings. In other words, the twist per inch, breakstrength, uniformity, and weight of the yarn compared quite favorablywith yarns produced when using conventional rings.

The airborne ring assembly according to the present invention can alsobe employed without individual ring holders by using a continuous ringrail 42. Ring rail 42 is channel-shaped in cross-section and comprises apair of spaced elongated webs 4212 which are joined together by a pairof spaced transversely disposed elongated flanges to thereby form anelongated manifold chamber 43. This chamber provides a common source ofpressurized air supply for all of the assemblies on the rail (FIGURE 4).At each ring assembly, the spaced Webs 42a have a pair of alinedtransverse openings extending therethrough, each pair of said openingshaving a ring holder bushing 45 secured therein by any suitable meanssuch as a press fit. Chamber 43 communicates with the respectivevertically disposed annular clearances 17 by means of horizontally andradially disposed openings 44 in bushing 45 and with the horizontalclearances 38 between flanges 15c and 45a by means of verticallydisposed openings 47, 47a, the latter holes being provided in contiguoushorizontal portions 42a and 45a respectively.

The ring assembly 50 shown in FIGURE 5 is substantially the same as thatin FIGURE 2 except for the substitution of annular porous powder metalfilter elements 51 and 52 for the horizontal and vertical holes 24 and25 respectively. The elements 51 and 52 conduct the gas or air from thering manifold 11c and uniformly distribute it around the adjoiningclearances 17 and 38. Filter elements 51 and 52 serve as parts of thelateral supporting surface for rim 15a and the vertical supportingsurface for flange 15c when the gas or air pressure is cut off. Sincethese supporting surfaces are made of powdered metal which inherentlyhave a higher coefficient of friction, a correspondingly greaterresistance will be offered to the rotation of the ring at the end of aspinning or twisting operation.

In the drawings and specification, preferred embodiments of theinvention have been disclosed, and although specific terms are employedthey are used in a generic sense and not for purposes of limitation, thescope of the invention being defined in the following claims:

1. In combination, a rotatable yarn holder, a spinning or twisting ringconcentrically mounted around said holder, a traveler mounted forsliding movement about one end of said ring under the influence of ayarn strand being wound upon said holder, said ring including acylindrical web having an annular flange integral therewith and lyingsubstantially in a transverse plane intermediate the Web ends to therebyprovide an L-shaped groove between the flange and the marginal webportion at the other web end, and pneumatic means acting against theadjacent sides of said L-shaped groove for rotatably supporting saidring on a cushion of air to diminish the frictional resistance opposingthe ring rotation below the frictional resistance opposing movement ofthe traveler upon the ring.

2. In combination, a spinning or twisting ring having a cylindrical webwith at least one upper flange and one lower flange integral therewith,a traveler mounted for movement on said upper flange, and pneumaticmeans acting against adjacent surfaces of said web and lower flange,respectively, for rotatably supporting said ring on a cushion of air.

3. In combination, a spinning or twisting ring having a verticallydisposed cylindrical web and a laterally extending annular flange on itsupper end for receiving a traveler, said web having a second laterallyextending annular flange integral therewith and intermediate its upperand lower ends to thereby provide an inverted L-shaped annular groovebetween the second flange and the web marginal portion therebelow, meansfor rotatably supporting said ring, said last-named means be ng providedwith an inverted L-shaped annular rim for receiving said groove, andpneumatic means acting laterally against said web marginal portion andupwardly against said second flange to respectively center and suspendsaid ring relative to said supporting means.

4. The combination as defined in claim 3 wherein said inverted L-shapedannular groove of said ring fits Within said inverted L-shaped annularrim of said supporting means.

5. The combination as defined in claim 4 and further comprising a ringrail having an elongated conduit therein, and wherein said supportingmeans comprises an annular bushing extending transversely across aportion of said conduit and surrounding said Web marginal portion, andwherein said laterally acting pneumatic means includes passagewaysthrough said bushing.

6. The combination as defined in claim 4 wherein said last-named meansincludes a porous metallic filter hav- UNITED STATES PATENTS 950,5073/1910 Belanger 57--l24 2,907,165 10/1959 Adams et a1. 57-124 X2,932,152 4/1960 Jackson 57--101 X FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

J. J. SIDOTI, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION, A ROTATABLE YARN HOLDER, A SPINNING OR TWISTING RINGCONCENTRICALLY MOUNTED AROUND SAID HOLDER, A TRAVELER MOUNTED FORSLIDING MOVEMENT ABOUT ONE END OF SAID RING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF AYARN STRAND BEING WOUND UPON SAID HOLDER, SAID RING INCLUDING ACYLINDRICAL WEB HAVING AN ANNULAR FLANGE INTEGRAL THEREWITH AND LYINGSUBSTANTIALLY IN A TRANSVERSE PLANE INTERMEDIATE THE WEB ENDS TO THEREBYPROVIDE AN L-SHAPED GROOVE BETWEEN THE FLANGE AND THE MARGINAL WEBPORTION AT THE OTHER WEB END, AND PNEUMATIC MEANS ACTING AGAINST THEADJACENT SIDES OF SAID L-SHAPED GROOVE FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAIDRING ON A CUSHION OF AIR TO DIMINISH THE FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE OPPOSINGTHE RING ROTATION BELOW THE FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE OPPOSING MOVEMENT OFTHE TRAVELER UPON THE RING.